Permanent Residency Applications

We are experienced in representing employers seeking to sponsor foreign workers for permanent residency (immigrant visa and “green card” petitions) and in representing highly skilled professionals who are eligible to request permanent residency as self-petitioners, outside the context of a job offer. Our areas of expertise include but are not limited to:

National Interest Waivers for Self-Petitioners and EB-1s:

Where an employer wishes to sponsor a highly skilled professional worker whose work advances significant U.S. national interests for permanent residency, or to sponsor a top-notch-level worker or international manager or executive for permanent residency, we can advise about eligibility for National Interest Waiver petitions (EB-2) and employment-based first priority visa applications (EB-1). We have successfully represented globally-renowned scientists, artists and international transferees in such petitions, and are well-versed in the unique challenge of demonstrating the contributions and skills of professionals in fields as diverse as nuclear engineering and classical music.

Designing Sponsorship Strategies that Require Labor Certification:

We assist employers in diverse industries such as K-12, higher education, finance, banking, engineering, IT consulting, and tourism sponsoring key foreign national workers for permanent residency in the second and third priorities categories (EB-2 and EB-3), which require a three-step process. We help employers navigate Step 1 – the highly technical labor certification process overseen by the Department of Labor (DOL) – and ensure that they appropriately balance their duty to make a good faith effort to test the U.S. labor market for qualified workers while effectively documenting the requirements of the specific position for which they are recruiting.

We continue our representation and counseling services for employers into Step 2 – the employer’s immigrant sponsorship petition with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services – and the foreign national worker’s eventual green card application (Step 3).

Our attorneys recognize that country quotas cause backlogs and lengthy waiting periods in the permanent residency process, and develop smart strategies in collaboration with employers and key workers to navigate the challenges caused by these backlogs.

Permanent residency and immigration sponsorship can be an expensive and drawn-out process. We effectively partner with employers in a wide range of industries to design smart strategies that appropriately balance their obligation to cover certain costs while protecting their long-term investment in personnel.